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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. key — the most important part
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — low music
  8. track — to keep track
  9. key — for a lock
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. key — in music
  14. track — a path
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — to shout
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. track — a song
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com